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Stand for Life

Stand for Life
by Brian Gibson, Executive Director

There is no single area of pro-life work that is more important than standing outside an abortuary in prayer.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I know that there are many important areas of hard work that people in the pro-life movement must be about in order to bring an end to the killing of the unborn. And many in the pro-life movement are involved in these other arenas. From pregnancy help centers to a host of educational opportunities to legislative and political work, much needs to be accomplished to bring an end to the killing. Add to that the areas of outreach to post-abortive women and men, bringing the reconciling power of Christ to former and even current abortion workers, and working to resolve the underlying issues of abortion, there remains much to be accomplished.

Yet, I will restate it: there is no single area of pro-life work more important than standing at the abortion mills praying and witnessing for life.

Abortion is not an issue; it is the horrific practice of intentionally killing defenseless human beings. We can lose sight of this when engaging in debates about abortion and pressing for change. By being present at the abortuary, the reality of abortion is kept alive in our hearts and minds, keeping us fresh for any and all other work in the pro-life movement.

When Christians are present at abortion mills, babies’ lives are saved. The pro-abortion people know this. I am not talking here about sidewalk counseling, where through the interaction with women arriving for their scheduled abortions, we can actually document lives being saved. I am referring to those who see us present at the abortuaries and because of this, decide to just drive on, never keeping their appointments with death. Internal memos from Planned Parenthood officials point this out. There is a percentage of “no-shows” every time those “protestors” are out there. We also have those times when a woman will stop to thank one of us for the life of her child. She tells us that seeing someone present was all she needed to turn away and that she never told anyone at the time. The countless unknown babies saved.

Abortion mills close. The witness in recent years of the 40 Days for Life campaigns, as well as other prayer efforts at the abortion mills, is the closure of these places. The peaceful, prayer-filled presence of Christians keeping vigil, coming back regularly and consistently in front of abortion mills has been an important part of closing dozens of these mills across the country, including the first ever to close in Minnesota because of pro-life efforts (through our campaigns at Regions Hospital). Persistent and consistent prayer presence at these places works.

Every day that abortions are scheduled at these “gates of hell,” real, living human beings are killed. Even if all of the above were not true, as Christians we have a duty to stand in solidarity with the defenseless, offering aid in any way possible and being present for these innocents. They are being abandoned unto death by their own mother and father. Society is treating them as sub-humans or worse. Without the presence of Chris-tians, the world is being told there is nothing wrong about killing babies by abortion.

Join with us. We will help you be present and keep vigil. Set a time to go out for a half hour or more each week. Or find the time to go for an hour or more every other week. But make a commitment to be there. Bring friends, family, church groups. Come stand for life.